Ballast-car.



W- H- YOST.

BALLAST CAR.

APPLICATI! N FILED MAY 18, 19,12.

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Patented June 17,1913.

3 BHEET8'SHEET 2.

W. H. YOST.

I BALLAST cm.

Patented June 17, 1913.

. T m m m m N qr m p m M OW n M w Y MN 7M r q \NhN m m W W \n I\\. 7 WM llllllill'lllllll'lul APPLICATION FILED MAYIB, 1912.

UNITED STATES QF MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, ASSIGNOR. TO RODGER WINFIELD HANCOCK YOST,

PATENT OFFICE.

BALLAST CAR COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE BALLAST-CARA Patented June 1'7, 1913. Serial No. 698,213.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, \Vmrmm HANCOCK YosT, a citizen of the United States of America, and residing at Montreal, in the Province of Quebec and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ballast-(Jars; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description of the same.

This im'ention relates to ballast cars of the side dumping type which are adapted to have their loads discharged by the passing of a plow therethrough, and has for its object to facilitate the discharge of the load by the plow and minimize the risk of injury to the car during such discharging of the load.

For further comprehension of the invention and the objects and advantages thereof reference will be had to the following description with appended claims, and to the accompanying drawings in which I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention and in which,

Figure 1 is a plan view, partly broken away, of a ballast car constructed according to my invention; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal view thereof partly in side elevation and .partly in vertical section on the line 2 2 Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 3 3 Fig. 1'. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view illustrating the method of mounting the side stakes; Fig. 5 is a detail sectional perspective view illustrating particularly the removable side lloor pieces and the manner of supporting the latter in place.

My improved car may he provided with an nnderstructure of any approved construction and which as here shown comprises a center sill 2 which carries the transverse arms or members 3 projecting therefrom at opposite sides, these parts being of any well known or suitable specific construction and adapted to support the floor and side walls,

there being fixed to the outer ends of the arms 3 side stakes 4' which support the side wall members 41.

in order to prevent large rocks which are frequently contained in the ballast from becoming wedged between the pl'ow and the side stakes i, with consequent: breaking of the stakes or stoppage of the plow, the tioor proper 5 is made of diminished width throughout the length of the car to present horizontal gravity discharge openings between the edges of the floor and the side walls which latter with the side stakes present an unobstructed interior face from end to end of the car to accommodate the plow and to facilitate the passage of the latter a runvay is preferably provided as hereafter described.

In the present case the plow runway is composed of the portions of the series of transverse members or arms 3 of the understructure'that bridge the space between the edge of the floor 5 and the side wall on either side of the car, the runners of the plow resting upon and traveling over'wear plates 7 covering the upper surface of filler strips or nailing pieces 7 carried by the arms 3 and which wear plates 7 are flush with the surface of the floor proper 5.

The gravity discharge spaces or openin s, resulting from the diminished width of t 1e floor proper 5, extend on either side of the car, laterally, as before mentioned, between the edges of the floor and the side walls, and in length extend, unobstructed from one side stake to another, and as a whole, with the exception of the interruptions caused by the transverse members 3 with their nailing pieces 7 and wear plates 7 which bridge the space between the floor and the stakes, constitute continuous discharge openings throughoutthe length of the car.

To complete the car body bottom between the side edges of the floor portion proper 5 (which is secured to the nailing pieces (3) and the side walls, I pref .r to provide downwardly and outwardly sloping side aprons l0. 11. extending the full length of the car, (but divided into sections by the outer end portions of the trang rse arms 3) and which aprons while forming the continua tion of the floor of car body bottom between the floor proper and the walls are, by reason of their inclination, located downwardly from the said horizontal floor portion to leave the discharge spaces above mentioned.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 3, the swinging side wall members 41 extend donnwardly so that their lower edges meet the apr ns 10, 11, and thus complete the material holding structure of the car, the discharge spaces thus extendingfroni the edges of the horizontal floor proper 5 to the swinging side wall members and when the latter are swung outward such discharge spaces extend upwardly to the extent of the opening afforded thereby. The aprons 10, 11, (which serve to conductthe material laterally to a position where it will discharge from the car entirely clear of the track'when my invention is embodied in a car of normal width) may be supported at their inner and outer edges upon longitudinal timbers l2 and 1?), respectively, which 1 term nailing pieces and which extend between adjacent transverse arms 3, the timbers 12 being supported by brackets 14, fixed to the arms 3, and the timbers 13 by side sill members 15 of Z-shape in cross section which extend underneath and are riveted, as at 15 to the outer ends of the arms 3.

It will be apparent that. as the plow, which is wider than the tloor proper 5, is drawn through the car, any large boulders that might be contained in the material on such floor proper and that might, if the floor were continued to the side stakes as forn'ierly, be jammed against same, will fall by gravity from the edges of the-floor 5 before reaching a position where they would be liable to become wedged between the plow and the stakes.

For use when the load is to be discharged to one side only of the car I provide removable tloor pieces 11 which are adapted to close at such times the discharge spaces on one side of the ear and which may be dispensed with when the load is to be discharged en both sides of the car, these floor pieces being supported at opposite ends by the nailing pieces 7 and whenin position being flush with the floor 5. e

In the present embodiment of my lXlVCIl-' tion, and as usual in ballast car construction, the side stakes constitute the guides for the plow (which is indicated at 16 Fig. 3 in discharging position upon the car) and as a result of the diminished width of they horizontal tloor proper 5 which is of course narrower than the plow the latter overhangs such tloor proper and insures a complete discharge of the material. The transverse arms 3 are preferably of a width substan tially equal to that of the Sltl? stakes and located sullicicntly close to one another to provide in this case a runway at either side of the ear for the side runners of the plow, which are thus supported clear of the floor by the outer ends of such arms and liability of damage to. the floor by reason of rocks or the like getting under the runners is obviated, the runners traveling over the wear plates 7 as before mentioned.

As shown more particularly in Fig. 4 each side stake comprises a main angle bar 4' secured by rivets 17 to the side face of one of the arms 3, so that transverse stresses on the rivets are thus in shear witli less liability of the rivets to yield to such stresses, and the stake is also preferably riveted as at a to the side sill 15, while the reinforcing plate I) on the transverse member 3 has each end turned upward as at c and riveted to the stake, the stake being reinforced if desired 'by an auxiliary angle bar 4* which extends from the upper side of the arm 3 to the top of the stake and is riveted as at 18 to the bar t. Gusset plates 1!), riveted to the sills l5 and to the arms 3 reinforce the latter against twisting from longitudinal stresses. The side stakes have fixed on their upper ends the top rails to which the side wall sections ai'e'liinged as at 20 and such top rails may each comprise an angle bar 21 disposed with one flange extending horizontally over the tops of the side stakes'and the other flange disposed inwardly relatively to the car and projecting upwardly, a wooden filler block 22 being carried upon such angle bar and secured thereto by bolts 23. The swinging side wall members 41 may be locked in closed position with their lower edges meet ing the outer portions of the inclined aprons 10, 11, by any suitable means such as the cranked rods 25 supported in straps 2G riveted to the side stakes, these rods having handles 27 on their ends whereby they may be rotated to swing the cranked portions thereof into or out of engagement with such side wall members, and, as shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 8, the inner faces of the latter are tlush with the inner faces of the side' stakes 4 so that such stakes and wall members present from the level of the horizontal floor upward and from end to end of the car an unobstructed interior face thus per? mitting the plow to extend beyond the edges of the diminished horizontal floor proper to the full width of the car as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3.

\Vhat Iv claim is as follows:--

1. In a ballast car. a floor, an understructttre "supporting such floor and projecting laterally beyond the edges 'of same, and plow runways presented by such laterally projecting portions of the understructure.

2. A ballast ear provided with side stakes and side wall members and adapted for the passage of a plow theretluwiugh, such ear having a horizontal floor of less width than the transverse space between the stakes extending the full length of the car to provide discharge openings throughout the length of.

the car between the edges of said floor and the side wall members. and a plow runway at each side of the car between said floor and the side wall members.

3. In a ballast car. an understructure, plow runways presented thereby, and a floor formed to present gravity discharge spaces adjacent such runways.

4. In a ballast car, a fixed horizontal floor portion proper, an understructure supportin such floor portion and projecting lateral y beyond the edges of same, plow runways presented by such laterally projecting ortions of the understructure, and side oor portions inclining downwardly and outwardly from the edges of said floor portion proper between the laterally projecting portions of the understructure.

5. A ballast car provided with side stakes and side wall members and adapted for the passage of a plow therethrough, such car having a horizontal floor of less width than the s ace between the side wall members, ex tending the full length of the car to provide discharge openings throughout the length of the car between the edges of said floor and the side wall members.

6. A car of the class described having in combination, vertical side walls and stakes presenting an unobstructed interior face from end to end of the car, and a horizontal floor extending from end to end of the car of less width than thewidth of the car and spaced inwardly at each side from the vertical side walls.

7. A ballast car adapted for the passage of a plow therethrough and having longitudinally spaced plow runway members projecting laterally beyond the horizontal floor of the car.

8. In a ballast car adapted for the passage of a plow therethrough; an understructure; side stakes fixed to such understructure; swinging side wall members supported by said stakes, and a fixed horizontal floor of less width than the transverse space between the stakes extending the full length of the car to provide discharge openings throughout the length of the car between the edges of said floor and the side wall members; said understructure including transverse. members intersecting said discharge openings, carrying the side stakes and presenting portions constituting runways for the plow in its travel through the car.

9. In a ballast car adapted for the passage of a plow thercthrough; a center sill; horizontal transverse members projccting therefrom on opposite sides; side stakes fixed to the outer ends of such transverse members; top rails fixed to such side stakes; side wall sections hinged to such top rails. a fixed horizontal tloor portion of less width than the space between the stakes. extcnding the full lcngth ot' the car to provide discharge openings throughout the length of the car between the edgcs of said floor and the sides of the car. and side floor portions inclining downwardly and outwardly from such horizontal floor and cngagcd by the bottoms of the said side wall scctions ll). ballast car adapted for the passagr of a plow thcrcthrough and presenting in combination an undcrstructurc. a horizontal floor portion of diminished width extending the full length of the car to provide discharge openings between the edges of said floor and the sides of the car, means for supporting the plow on a level with the floor, sidi stakes, and walls supported by said sta cs.

11. An open ended ballast car adaptedfor the passage of a plow therethrough and having an understructure including transverse members; side stakes carried by the transverse members, a floor supported by said understructure and being of less width than the transverse space between the stakes to present discharge openings at either side of the car and means for supporting the plow during its travel through the car.

12. A ballast car having an understructure including transverse members, side stakes carried by the transverse members and a horizontal floor of less width than the transverse space between the stakes to present discharge openings at either side of the car intersected only by said transverse members.

13. A ballast car adapted for the passage of a plow therethrough and having an understructure, side stakes, a floor of diminished width to provide discharge openings at either side of the car and wear plates at intervals throughout the length of the car forming runway surfaces for the plow.

14. A ballast car adapted for the passage of a plow therethrough and having an understructure, a plurality of side stakes, and a horizontal floor diminished in width to provide gravity discharge openings extending from the edges of the floor to the sides of the car on either side of and immediately adjacent said stakes, the interior space between the stakes above the floor level being unobstructed from end to end of the car.

15. A car of the class described having in combination, an understructure, side stakes carried by said understructure and walls supported by said stakes, the stakes and walls presenting an unobstructed interior face from end to end of the car. and a horizontal floor of diminished width the edges of which are spaced a distance from said stakes to present gravity discharge openings adjacent thereto.

it A ballast car adapted for the passage of a plow therethrough and having a bottom comprising a fixed horizontal portion, extending the full length of the car, ind side portions inclining downwardly and outwardly from such horizontal portion, and removable floor pieces adapted at times to form extensions of the said horizontal floor portion above the said side portions.

17. ballast car adapted for the passage of a plow therethrough and comprising; an umlerstructure; side stakes fixed to such undcrstructure; side wall members sup rted by said side stakes; a fixed horizontal floor 

